Supreme Court Seeking Applicants for State Bar Board of Trustees

SAN FRANCISCO—The California Supreme Court announced today it is seeking applicants for the court’s first-ever appointment to the State Bar Board of Trustees, which governs attorney licensing and discipline. The deadline to apply is June 1. The appointee will take office at the State Bar Annual Meeting in October 2012.

The court anticipates appointing five individuals to the board over the next three years, following legislation (SB 163) changing the composition of the board.

The legislation took effect in January and will gradually reduce the current 23-member board to 19 members by October 31, 2014. The new board will include six elected lawyers, one from each of the state’s six appellate court districts; five attorneys appointed by the state Supreme Court; six nonlawyer members chosen by the Legislature and the Governor’s Office; and two attorneys appointed by the Legislature and the Governor’s Office. The legislation was sponsored by Senator Noreen Evans, Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The Supreme Court appointees will be chosen after the court considers recommendations and ratings of applicants by the court’s Committee on the Application and Evaluation of Nominees Committee (AENC). The AENC currently reviews applicants for the State Bar Court. Because of time constraints for this first appointment, the court requested that the AENC assist it. The court is considering a new rule and appointment of a separate committee to review applicants for the court’s appointments to the Board of Trustees.

The existing AENC, appointed by the court, generally comprises seven members, four active attorneys, two active or retired judges, and one public member. Two of the attorneys are members of the State Bar Board, and in this process, the court has requested that the AENC act without their participation. By statute, staff of the State Bar assists the AENC in processing the recommendations for the court.

Applicants must be active members of the State Bar and have their principal place of business in California. The term of the appointment is three years and the appointment may be extended by the Court for an additional three years.

Application forms and questionnaires are available here. For more information or to request an application packet by mail, call 415-538-2370 or write to the AENC, care of the State Bar of California Appointments Office, 180 Howard St., San Francisco, California 94105-1639. The fax number is 415- 538-2305.